Boro travel to Wiltshire for a vital Tuesday Night clash with Jody Morris’ Swindon at the business end of the campaign…
With just three important games remaining, Stevenage sit third in the Sky Bet League Two table and just one point above fourth place, with tonight’s fixture being a game in hand over sides chasing them.
After two home victories, Boro suffered a 1-0 defeat to Mansfield, making tonight’s match even more important.
Swindon Town occupy tenth place in the table and are unable to reach a play-off place due to their inconsistent form over the course of the campaign. They have picked up fifteen wins, thirteen draws and fifteen losses in the league this season but have picked up form in their last few matches.
On Saturday, The Robins travelled to Southwest London and picked up an impressive 5-1 victory against AFC Wimbledon. Before that, Swindon welcomed promotion hopefuls Bradford City to The County Ground and earned a 1-0 win through Jonny Williams’ late winner. Williams is The Robins’ top scorer this season, netting ten in all competitions.
Jody Morris took over as Swindon boss in January 2023, making it his first managerial role in senior football. He previously spent time as an academy coach at Chelsea, before becoming Frank Lampard’s assistant at both Derby County and The Blues. As a player, Morris wore the Chelsea shirt on over 120 occasions.
Boro and The Robins have met on sixteen previous occasions with tonight’s hosts winning nine of them. The first ever encounter between the two clubs occurred in the 1997/98 FA Cup as non-league Stevenage stunned Swindon at The County Ground by winning 2-1 and advancing into the fourth round. This result remains the only victory Stevenage have picked up against The Robins away from home.
One of the most memorable matches against Swindon happened a decade later in the same competition. In the Second Round, Boro thrashed Swindon 5-2, with Danny Newton, Matt Godden, Alex Samuel and Tom Pett all getting on the scoresheet.
This season’s reverse fixture at The Lamex Stadium went in Stevenage’s favour as Jordan Roberts’ brace led to a comfortable 2-0 victory in League Two.
The County Ground has been home to Swindon Town since 1896 and currently has a capacity of 15,728. A record attendance of 32,000 was set in January 1972 as The Robins welcomed Arsenal in The FA Cup. In 1951, Swindon became the first league club to install floodlights.
Benjamin Speedie has been appointed Match Referee for tonight’s fixture, with Samuel Ogles and Samuel Fudge as Assistants, and Sunny Singh Gill as Fourth Official. Speedie has dished out 130 yellow cards and five reds in thirty-three matches this season.
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